Note to Editors: You can download a sound clip in English from Yusuf Cassim MPL
Today’s oversight inspections of key policing units in Nelson Mandela Bay revealed a near-total collapse in the police’s ability to prevent and respond to violent crime. What was once a coordinated and capable frontline operation has been reduced to units starved of vehicles, training, and leadership support.
Together with DA Member of Parliament and Portfolio Committee Chairperson on Police, Ian Cameron MP, DA Mayoral Candidate Retief Odendaal MPL, and local councillors, we conducted oversight visits at the SAPS Anti-Gang Unit, Flying Squad, and K9 Unit in Gqeberha earlier today.
See photos here, here, here, and here.
The findings were deeply troubling. Across all three units, a consistent picture has emerged. Critical policing capacity has collapsed due to years of mismanagement, bureaucratic paralysis, and neglect by national leadership.
These failures directly undermine Parliament’s own directives. In July 2025, the National Assembly adopted my petition for priority intervention in the Northern Areas’ gang crisis, following my submission to the Portfolio Committee on Police. The resolution specifically directed SAPS to address the collapse of the Anti-Gang Unit and Crime Intelligence in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Considering today’s findings, it is clear that those directives have been ignored. Residents of Nelson Mandela Bay, already facing some of the highest violent crime rates in the province, have been left defenceless.
The Anti-Gang Unit has only four operational vehicles for 110 visible policing personnel. Of the 29 detectives allocated to the unit, only eight are dedicated members, while the rest share duties across the organised crime unit. Detectives also face vehicle shortages, with just five operational units.
ShotSpotter and mobile surveillance systems, meant to aid in firearm and gang detection, have been non-operational for years.
The Flying Squad, once the city’s rapid-response lifeline, now operates with just one vehicle across the entire metro. The unit has also been without landlines since 2023 due to cable theft.
At the K9 Unit, staff have been cut from 40 to 22. There are only 13 dogs available, and only two of those are trained narcotics dogs, severely hampering the fight against substance abuse and gang-related drug crimes. There are also no high-performance vehicles left in service.
These findings reflect a collapse in leadership and the erosion of essential public safety infrastructure. SAPS officers on the ground are doing their best under impossible conditions, but they are being failed by the very management tasked with supporting them.
The Democratic Alliance has requested that Ian Cameron, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Police, table these findings before the Committee and demand urgent national interventions.
We have also requested that he urgently follow up with the Minister of Police, Firoz Cachalia, on the status of implementation of the directives from the national portfolio committee and demand an immediate national response.
The people of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve a police service capable of protecting them, not one crippled by neglect and mismanagement. Until decisive action is taken, violent criminals will continue to act with impunity while honest officers fight an unwinnable battle.
The DA remains committed to restoring safety, accountability, and dignity to our communities. South Africans deserve leadership that delivers real protection, not excuses.